"TREASURES OF DARKNESS"

A Sermon By

Rev. Philip A. C. Clarke

Park Avenue United Methodist Church lo6 East 86th Stre~t New York, New York 10028 January 8, 1989

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darkness, thank God, passes - but what one learns in the darkness, one possesses forevert"

EVERYBODY IS HURTING One thing ••• one of the treasures of darkness ••• is that just about everybody is hurting. It's amazing

hovr much "hurting" there is under those bright faces we put on ••• how much heartache, suffering and loneliness. In to the lives of everybody comes pain, sickness, frustration, failure and defeat. This is part of what it means to be human. No one is immune. There's no maJlC umbrella that can shield any of us from trouble no matter how hard we might wish it.

Somewhere a mayth began that if a person were holy enough or pious enough or religious enough that life's troubles would automatically pass him by. It "ain't necessarily so". Take the case of Paul, the Apostle. Pious, yes. Holy, yes. Religious, yes. Nobody would ever question the depth of his commitment or his position as one of the great men of the faith and of history. It anybody had the right to feel that God ought to protect him, it would be Paul.

But he was a man plagued with trouble. He had two kinds of difficulties which he shares with men through all ages. One was a physical disability. We don't know just what it was. Paul called it "the thorn in the flesh", and medical men have diagnosed it as everything from epilepsy to appendicitis. But Paul carried this thorn with him his entire life. He pray·ed hard to be rid of it. He asked God to remove it and then instead of quitting altogether when it didn't go away, he learned to live with it and above it.

And in addition to a physical disability, Paul was to experience real frustratj_on and betrayal in his work that would have turned most of us bitter, sour and vindictive. Nothing protected him from discouragement. Listen to one letter he wrote after a terrible time,

"We should like you, our brothers, to knm.r s0rnething of what we went through in Asia. At the time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact, we told ourselves that it was the end. Yet, we believe that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust not ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead l 11

NOTE THIS I think it's important to note what Paul is saying to us in this letter to his friends. It has a note of utmost realism.

It is not that he prayed and God removed his troubles. He prayed and the situation did not change, but Paul did! Paul changed. He found what we dis­cover - that God is no insurance policy to get us out of trouble, but He helps us handle the trouble we are in. Sometimes li19 only look for the way out and miss the resources available to help us while we are in trouble.

I've always been fond of that story of the two men in a boat in the midst of a bad storm. As the waves rose and the boat threatened to capzise the men knew they needed help. They Here not religious men, but they decided that prayer was about all that was left, and so in the teeth of this terrific gale one of them shouted the only prayer he could muster:

11 0 God, you know that I haven't bothered you for the past 15 years, and if you' 11 just get us out of thi.s mess, I

------------------

- 4 -

Physical pain and mental anguish are very real. I think that in the long run we choose our attitude toward it. vTe allow it to defeat us, or we accept it into our lives - and -we triumph over tt.

vJhen one think, "I have reached the bottom of the sea ••• I can go no deeper" one does go deeper. Since it will not go away, vre have two choices: we can live with our trouble at the center of life and become complaining, unhappy people, or we refuse to allow it to be the center of our lives - no matter how insistent it is, and rise to a higher level of our own being. We do not deny the pain. 1rJe affirm that even in the midst of it, we are not completely lim ted by it. We have more resources than that. This discovery is another of the treasures of darkness!

SOMEBODY CARES The third and the final lesson which I think sometimes comes to us only through experiences of darkness is the

lesson that somebody cares. We can endure almost anything if we know that somewhere there is some one who is concerned about us and about what is happening.

I'm sure that some of you who are present here today know v1hat it means to supported through a time of trouble by God. There may be some person present who is asking whether that support is available to you in the dark tunnel through which you are now passing.

The central message of this morning is a truth which some learn only in times of darkness - that God is at all times the sustainer of our lives. He sustains them in the good times and the bad - in health as in illness, in the days when we're "on top" of things as well as the days when we 1 re "dmm". He is there. He cares. Although this is a truth that is available to us at every moment, it is a lesson that some of us will learn only in our darkest hours. Pauls said it was necessary for him to be driven to the end of his rope so that he would stop trusting himself and his own ability to handle life and learn to trust God instead. Yes, "let go and ••• let God!"

CLOSING I think it's a liberating thing to know that there are some things which can be gained only from the darkness. The darkness,

thank God, eventually passes.

One of my favorite stories has to do with an Eastern monarch who directed the wise men of his kingdom to come up with a message for his ring that would speak to him at all times ••• in moments of elliation. and moments of sadness, a sort of message for all seasons. Space was limited on the ring to less than 20 characters. And after much deliberation they returned with this simple line for his ring. They had come up with a message that would sustain him whatever and this was it, "THIS TOO SHALL PASS".

The lessons of the darkness are ours forever. Treasure them. Never forget them so that you will be able to say what that poster said that caught my eye recently as I was calling on one of you in the hospital:

"I believe in the sun - even •rhen it is not shining. I believe in love - even when I am alone. I believe in God - even 1-.rhen He is silent"

"TREASURES OF DARKNESS"

INTRODUCTION I don't know how it is with you this morning, but for many people there seems to be a period from early January to mid­

February when all the things we pushed aside in the press of our Christmas celebration come out to burden us. It's about this time of the year when so many come down with that old affliction of the "mid-winter" blues. Fighting colds and flu germs and facing the same old problems, we find our spirits sagging. lt!e become blue and discouraged and not easy to live with.

DEVELOPMENT Here's a student who 1 s just not "making it". As exams come around, he's more and more depressed and feels that perhaps

the best thing for him to do would be to "cut and run". He doesn 1 t have any plan and the pressures upon him are quite severe.

Or, here's a person who is carrying a major family responsibility on his back. He didn't ask for this responsibility, but it has been thrust upon him and he can't refuse it. Tired and discouraged, it seems to him that there will never be an end to the pressures and drain upon his resources and energies.

Or, here 1 s a person who is carry.ing the burden of illness. The days are filled with pain and the nights with wakefulness. Each day seems to bring another crisis and another appointment to make and keep. He or she wonders just how much more a person can take when just "staying alive" seems to take so much strength.

Or, here's a couple whose marriage has gone sour. They started out to­gether long ago, but they have moved farther and ·fatther apart almost without noticing it into two separate worlds and suddenly they find that they have lost touch with each other. They don't know whether it's easier to go through the struggle of working their way back together again or just give up and call it quits ••• separate and divorce. Frusted, angry and defeated, they aren't sure just what to do.

If these illustrations strike a familiar chord or if you find yourself wanting to add your own situation to the list, then you are the person for whom today's sermon may have meaning. I suppose the easy thing would be to smile and say, "Have faith. Hang on. Better times are ahead. It 1 s going to get better. There will be a happy ending. Wait and see.". But that kind of approach would be dishonest and deceiving. For some of us, the pain ••• the dark nights ••• the quiet suffering ••• the conflicts •••• the pressures and strains are not go.ing to go away. What -v1e most need is a world that will help us live in the midst of them.

TREASURES OF DARKNESS I want to talk for a little while this morning about the treasures of darkness. The phrase and

the title come from a sentence of Leslie Weatherford, the English preacher. He once said in a sermon,

"I can only write this simple testimony. Like all men, I love and prefer the sunny uplands of experience when health, happiness and success abound; but I have learned more about God, life and myself in the darkness of fear and failure than I have ever learned in the sunshine. There are such things as the treasures of darkness. The

- 3 -

I promise I won't bother you again for 15 more years."

One of the treasures that the darkness can bring us is this awareness that v.re share pain and suffering with all mankind. Behi.nd the closed doors of many lives some heroic and difficult battles are being fought. People are carrying burdens you and I do not alwPys know about. We need to give people the benefit of the doubt and exercise more care and compassion than we do. That line from the Arabian so often speaks to me, "I cried because I had no, shoes until I saw a man who had no feet".

MORE RESOURCES THAN WE THINK Another lesson that we can learn from the tunnel of darkaess is a lesson about our­

selves: that the human spirit has more resources than we think. All of us knmT people who driven to the end of their rope - like Paul - tied a good knot and hung on •••• sometimes against almost impossible odds, sometimes beyond our human comprehension, but they hung on. They held fast.

Brian Sternberg was a student at the University of lrJashington and a champion pole vaulter. Limbering up on a trampoline before a track meet, he fell across one of the metal bars and broke his back. It was clear that he v.rould not only never jump again, but also might never walk again. Since that time Brian has demonstrated that he is a champion in more than the pole vault - that he's a champion in managing his own life. One day, one of his uncles vras visiting him in the hospital and seeing the pain and the struggle said to him, "Brian, I wish I could take your place for a little while and give you a rest." Brian, grinning, said,

"Thanks, but you couldn't do it. I know because I couldn't do it either •••• except that I have to ••• so I do it."

Dam Hammarksjold experienced something of the same thing. Placed in one of the key positions of responsibility in our world he understood more than most the loneliness, the discouragement and the disappointment of it and this temptation to escape from the pressures of it. He wrote in his diary, Markings:

11 Tired - and lonely. So tired the heart aches. Meltwater trickles Down the rocks, The fingers are numb The knees tremble It is now that you must not give in.

(m the path of others Are resting places. Places in the sun vfuere they can meet. But this is not your path, And it is now, Now that you must not fail.

Weep - if you can, Heep - but do not complain. The way chose you And you must be thankful."

-----------

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PRAYER Our lives, 0 God, are not always easy and we ask for strength to meet the darkness of those difficult days that come to us

all •••• knowing that even there you are present to bless and preserve, to heal and to help, to strengthen and to sustain.

Point out markers in these moments on the trail for those who may have lost their way. And douse 1r.rith the cold waters of common sense any who might this very day be on the verge of some destructive action or unhealthy decision.

Help us to pour all of our energies into the race that lies ahead in this New Year ••• keeping our eyes always steadfastly on Jesus who for us is the Way, the Truth and the Life. In His name and spirit v-re pray. Amen

,_ ' \

lJ. ..1/ ... ! ..•. -"·· -·--·-----·- ·---' ._ ............. 'iollitl 'I

"TREASURES OF DARKNESS"

A Sermon By

Rev. Philip A. C. Clarke

Park Avenue United Methodist Church lo6 East 86th Street New York, New York 10028 January 8, 1989

"TREASURES OF DARKNESS"

INTRODUCTION I don't know how it is with you this morning, but for many people there seems to be a period from early January to mid­

February when all the things we pushed aside in the press of our Christmas celebration come out to burden us. It's about this time of the year when so many come dmm with that old affliction of the "mid-winter" blues. Fighting colds and flu germs and facing the same old problems, we find our spirits sagging. \1e become blue and discouraged and not easy to live with.

DEVELOPMENT Here's a student who 1 s just not "making it". As exams come around, he's more and more depressed and feels that perhaps

the best thing for him to do would be to "cut and run". He doesn't have any plan and the pressures upon him are quite severe.

Or, here's a person who is carrying a major family responsibility on his back. He didn't ask for this responsibility, but it has been thrust upon him and he can't refuse it. Tired and discouraged, it seems to him that there will never be an end to the pressures and drain upon his resources and energies.

Or, here's a person who is carrying the burden of illness. The days are filled with pain and the nights with wakefulness. Each day seems to bring another crisis and another appointment to make and keep. He or she wonders just how much more a person can take when just "staying alive" seems to take so much strength.

Or, here's a couple whose marriage has gone sour. They started out to­gether long ago, but they have moved farther and fat.ther apart almost without noticing i.t into two separate t-rorlds and suddenlt they find that they have lost touch Hith each other. They don't know whether it's easier to go through the struggle of t-Torking their way back together again or just give up and call i.t ouits ••• separate and divorce. Frusted, angry and defeated, they aren't sure just what to do.

If these illustrations strike a familiar chord or if you find yourself rt~anting to add your own s i tnation to the list, then you are the person for whom today's sermon may have meaning. I suppose the easy thing would be to smi.le and say, "Have faith. Hang on. Better times are ahead. It's going to get better. There will be a happy ending. Wait and see.". But that kind of approach would be dishonest and deceiving. For some of us, the pain ••• the dark nights ••• the quiet suffering ••• the conflicts •••• the pressures and strains are not going to go away. l.rJhat vTe most need is a world that will help us live in the midst of them.

TREASURES OF DARKNESS I want to talk for a little while this morning about the treasures of darkness. The phrase and

the title come from a sentence of Leslie Weatherford, the English preacher. He once said in a sermon,

"I can onl,y write this simple testimon.y. Like all men, I love and prefer the sunny uplands of experience when health, happiness and success abound; but I have learned more about God, life and myself in the darkness of fear and failure than I have ever learned in the sunshine. There are snch things as the treasures of darkness. The

·- ·- -·-·.-..4·-~-____;: _________ ~--

- 2 -

darkness, thank God, passes - but what one learns in the darkness, one possesses forevert"

EVERYBODY IS HURTit-G One thing ••• one of the treasures of darkness ••• is that just about everybody is hurting. It's amazing

hovr much "-hurting" there is under those bright faces we put on ••• how much heartache, suffering and loneliness. In to the lives of everybody comes pain, sickness, frustration, failure and defeat. This is part of what it means to be human. No one is innnune. There's no maj ic umbrella that can shield any of us from trouble no matter how hard we might wish it.

Somewhere a mayth began that if a person were holy enough or pious enough or religious enough tha.t life's troubles would automatically pass him by. It "ain't necessarily so". Take the case of Paul, the Apostle. Pious, yes. Holy, yes. Religious, yes. Nobody would ever question the depth of his commitment or his position as one of the great men of the faith and of history. It anybody had the right to feel that God ought to protect him, it would be Paul.

But he was a man plagued with trouble. He had two kinds of difficulties which he shares with men through all ages. One was a physical disability. We don't know just what it was. Paul called it "the thorn in the flesh", and medical men have diagnosed it as everything from epilepsy to appendicitis. But Paul carried this thorn with him his entire life. He prayed hard to be rid of it. He asked God to remove it and then instead of quitting altogether when it d idn 1 t go away, he learned to live with it and above it,

And in addition to a physical disability, Paul was to experience real frustration and betrayal in his work that would have tnrned most of us bitter, sonr and vindictive. Nothing protected him from discouragement. Listen to one letter he wrote after a terrible time,

"We should like you, our brothers, to kno1-.r son:! thing of what r.,e went through in Asia. At the time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact, we told ourselves that it was the end. Yet, we believe t,ha t we had this experience of coming to the end of 011r tether that we might learn to trust not ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead~ 11

NOTE THIS I think it's important to note what Paul is saying to us in this letter to his friends. It has a note of utmost realism.

It is not tha. t he prayed and God removed his troubles. He prayed and the sttuation ciid not change, but Paul did! Paul changed. He found what we dis­cover - that God is no insurance policy to get us out of trouble, but He helps us handle the trouble we are in. So~times we only look for the way out and miss the resources available to help us while we are in trouble.

I've always been fond of that story of the two men in a boat in the midst of a bad storm. As the waves rose and the boat threatened to capzise the men knew they needed help. They Here not religious men, but they decided that prayer was about all that was left, and so in the teeth of this terrific gale one of them shouted the only pre1yer he conld muster:

"0 God, y-ou know that I haven't bothered you for the past lS years, and lf you'll just get us out of this mess, I

- 3 -

I promise I won't bother you again for lS more yea.rs."

One of the treasures that the darkness can bring us is this awareness that ~<re share nain and suffering with all mankind. Behind the closed doors of many lives some heroic and difficult battles are being fought. People are carrying burdens you and I do not a lwr>ys know about. 1tle need to give people the benefit of the doubt and exercise more care and compassion than we do. That line from the Arabian so often speaks to me, "I cried because I had no , shoes until I saw a man who had no feet".

MOHE RESOURCES THAN WE THINK Another lesson that we can learn from the tunnel of darkness is a lesson about our­

selves: that the human spirit has more resources than we think. All of us knmr people who driven to the end of their rope - like Paul - tied a good knot and hung on •••• sometimes against almost impossible odds, sometimes beyond our human comprehension, but they hung on. They held fast.

Brian Sternberg was a student at the University of 11ashington and a champion pole vaulter. Limbering up on a trampoline before a track meet, he fell across one of the metal bars and broke his back. It was clear that he •,rould not onl.y never jump again, but also might never walk again. Since that time Brian has demonstrated that he is a champion in more than the pole vault - that he's a champion in managing his own life. One day, one of his uncles t-Jas visiting him in the hospital and seeing the pain and the struggle said to him, "Brian, I wish I could take your place for a little while and give you a rest." Brian, grinning, said,

"Thanks, but you couldn't do it. I know because I couldn't do it either •••• except that I have to ••• so I do it."

Dam Hammarksjold experienced something of the same thing. Placed in one of the key positions of responsibility in our world he understood more than most the loneliness, the discouragement and the disappointment of it and this temptation to escape from the pressures of it. He wrote in his diary, Markings:

"Tired - and lonely. So tired the heart aches. Meltwater trickles Down the rocks, The fingers are numb The knees tremble It is now that you must not give in.

On the path of others Are resting places. Places in the sun \rlhere they can meet. Bnt this is not your path, And it is now, Now that you must not fail.

ir/eep - if you can, !:Jeep - but do not complain. The way chose you And you must be thankful."

--------------

- 4 -

Physical pain and mental anguish are very real. I think that in the long run we choose our a.ttitude toward it. l:re allow it to defeat us, or we accept it into our lives - and - we triumph over it.

\·Jhen one think, "I have reached the bottom of the sea ••• I can go no deeper" one does go deeper. Since it will not go away, vre have two choices: we can live with our trouble at the center of life and become complaining, unhappy people, or He refuse to allow it to be the center of our lives - no matter how insistent it is, and rise to a higher level of our own being. He do not deny the pain. !Je affirm that even in the midst of it, we are not completely lim ted by it. lrle have more resources than that. This discovery is another of the treasures of darkness!

SO~~BODY CARES The third and the final lesson which I think sometimes comes to us only through experiences of darkness is the

lesson that somebody cares. We can endure almost anything if we know that somewhere there is some one who is concerned about us and about what is happening.

I'm sure that some of you who are present here today know Hhat it means to be supported through a time of trouble by God. There may be some person present who is asking whethf'r that support is available to you in the dark tunnel through which you are now passing.

The central message of this morning is a truth which some learn only in times of darkness - that God is at all times the sustainer of our lives. He sustains them in the good times and the bad - in health as in illness, in the days when we're "on top" of things as well as the days when we're "down". He is there. He ca.res. Although this is a truth that is available to us at every moment, it is a lesson that some of us will learn only in our darkest hours. Pauls said it was necessary for him to be driven to the end of his rope S() that he would stop trusting himself and his own ability to handle life and learn to trust God instead. Yes, "let go ann ••• let God!"

CLOSINJ I think it's a liberating thing to know that there are some things which can be gained only from the darkness. The darkness,

thank God, eventually passes.

One of my favorite stories has to do with an Eastern monarch who directed the wise men of his kingdom to come up with a message for his ring that would speak to him at all times ••• in moments of elation. and moments of sadness, a sort of r1essage for all seasons. Space was limited on the ring to less than 20 characters. And after much deliberation they returned with this simple line for his ring. They had come up with a message that would sustain him whatever and this was it, 11 THIS TOO SHALL PASS".

The lessons of the darkness are ours forever. Treasure them. Never forget them so that you will be able to say what that poster said that caught my eye recently as I was calling on one of you in the hospital:

"I believe in the sun - even vmen it is not shining. I believe in love - even when I am alone. I believe in God - even when He is silent"

- s -

PRAYER Our lives, 0 God, are not always easy and we a.sk for strength to meet the darkness of those difficult days that come to us

all •••• kn01-ring that even there you are present to bless and preserve, to heal and to help, to strengthen and to sustain.

Point out markers in these moments on the trail for those who ma.y have lost their way. And douse Trrith the cold waters of common sense any limo might this very day be on the ver§e of some destructive action or unhea.lthy decision.

Help us to pour all of our energies tnto the race that lies ahead in this New Year ••• keeping our eyes always steadfastly on Jesus who for us is the lrfay, the Truth and the Life. In His name and spirit liTe pray. Amen

PASTCitAL PRAima January 8th, 1989

0 THOO WHO ART the light of the minds tfliLt know Thee, the joy 0 r the he arts tha ·~ love '!bee, the strength or the wills that serve Thee.

HEAR OUR nt<:XJOHTS ••• as we enter 1., to these quiet moments ot prayer. Here re111nd us that "•ore things are wrought by prayer than this vorld baa 8\•!r dre.-d.• ·

STEADY US A.ND SUSTAIN US, 0 God and Father or us all, vlth that "blessed assurance" that our marv proble1118 can be met and mastered vlth Tour help, Your wisdom, Your grace and guidance.

PURGE from our Uvea all that which prevents us f'rora cantng in touch vtth Your Spirit. Relp us to overcome the tendency to always thlnk or ourselves tiret. lnable ua to fulq concentrate on You "in spirit and 1n truth" that we 11181' find t~at inner peace, that inner paver and poise that makes a difference&

THANKFUL WE ARE, 0 oro, that you have brought UB safel,y through this week that has been demanding, that has also been diftloult and discouraging tor m&IJT gathered in worship.

~ENE~ our perBpeoti.,.. HELP us to see life trcn higher grwnd in this hour.

Where there 18 personal disorder, bring peace. Where there is lingering illness; bring healing. Where there is disturbing doubt, bring faith. ~ere there are broken hearts~ •• broken dre8Jil8 1 bring

reassurance and new courage, f"resh hope.

LatD, WE FRAY not onl7 tor ourselves, but also for others - especially' for the person sltti~ next to us ln the pew ••• the person to our left ••• the person to our right.

We pray for those vlth whom we work - 1n the office, 1n the class room, 1n the hospital. We hold in our hearts our loved ones from whom we are separated by distance, but from whaa we are not separated by love and concern.

REMIND US 11iliT WE cannot fellowship with You, IDrd, if in our hearts we reject or neglect our brother 1n need. n.erefore, tilke us and use us to carve 'l'tv' vill ln the world where ve live and work.

All this we al!lk in the spirt t or Jesus Christ, in whom we find life's highest hope and lite'• deepest IIIB8n1f11• In Hla name and 1n Hla spirit, we Pr&J'•

ANNOUNCEl'lENTS: Sunday, Janu::J.ry 8, 1989

A. 1de welcome the visitors in the congregation ••• delighted to have you vJith us ••• opportunity to greet you in a more pPrsonal Hay.

B. Be free in the sharing of your name. FUl out a visitor card. Sjgn a Guest Book. Join us on other Sundays in Horship. Come and work with us in the programs of service •••

c. You vrorship in a Church whose roots are deep in the soil

II. PICK UP

of this part of NYC. Founded in 1B37 ••• fourth building out of 1-1hich this congregation has ministered. We minister in the name of Christ and it is in His spirit ••••

A. Be sure to pick up a copy of the January issue of our monthly news sheet, prepared by Lucy Dinnes.

B. Also, available ••• "A Year With the Bible".

C. Take along a flyer reminding you of the February Lth Rummage Sale ••• for which workers are already being enlisted. lend a hand.

D. Also, if you requested them, a box of 1989 offering envelopes is on the table downstairs waiting to be picked up by you. Ta.ke the box that has your name on it •• o.

III. NEXT SUNDAY / FELLOHSHIP ci'U PPER

A. r~()Xt Sunday He have a Fellowship Supper "in the worka"o Sponsored by the Outreach Committee, it's in honor of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr ••

B. Sunper: $ 3.00 donation. Richmond Bates will be handline the snpper d cna tions today and next Sunday at the coffee hour.

c. Program. Hr. Gloster B. Current vrill speak on "King, How Fares the Dream Today?" A friend and a colleague and a former Administrator of the NAACP. Look forward to his presence vli th us.

IV. OFFERING: "Hore blessed to give than it is to receive"

-..

"And all things.eowhatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing ••• you shall receive. And as many as touched Him were made wholel"

"Wait on the Lord. Be of good course and He s~all strengthen thine heart. For we dwell in the shelter of 'tlhe Almighty. He is our refuge and our strength."

"We know that in everything, God works together for good with those who love Him!"

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint".

"God so love the world that He gave His only Son, that who­soever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

"Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases~.

"Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in thee".

"In the name of Jesus Christ, I share with you the Good News: We are forgiven 11 o

PRAYERS / LORD'S PRAYER 0 Thou, who hearest prayer, hear our prayers ••• for others, as well as for ourselves. Tori'ch with

healing, 0 God ••• Father of us all, those whom we mention in our prayers this hour:

1. Phyllis Gardner, mothef.of Bob Gardner. 3. Maude Barnett

4. Sharon Scha.ffield, dau5qter of Michael. 6. Heidi Rabm·JSky 7. ~·!illiam Brotm, ra·wer of Bd •

• • • beloved members and friends of this congregation. Comfort the 'bereaved and the broken hearted among us ••• and especially be close to who in recent days has lost a loved one. Abide among us as a healing benediction. Heal each of us at the point of our deepest need.

Answer the upspoken prayers now offered to thee on the altars of our hearts, spoken in the name and soirit of Jesus, who taught us to say when we pray •••• For we ask all of this in the powerful name and lifting spirit of Jesus who taught us to say when we prayooo

"Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And _ lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the glery, forever. Amen"

' '

FIRST INTRODUCTION The week of toil has ended. Our day of rest is at hand. May the rest and the quiet of this hour of

worship refresh our inner life. And may it renew in all of us a sense of God's holy and abiding Presence.

In silence, let each now pray as the heart may prompt.

SECOND INTRODUCTION Remaining in ~ prayerful spirit, let us enter now into a time of silent meditation •••• a time in which

we prepare ourselves expectantly ••• that the Spirit of the living God may be made real to us in this hour of worship.

In quietness, let each now pray as the heart may prompt.

THIRD INTRODUCTION Remaining in a prayerful spirit, let us enter into a time of silent meditation as we come into the

Presence of Him whom our faith declares to be the Source of all life and love, all peace and power, the Source of all hope and healing.

In silence, let each now pray as the heart may prompt.

FOURTH INTRODUCTION Remaining in a prayerful spirit, let us enter now into a time of silent meditation. In these moments,

let us ponder the pattern our lives have been weaving as we come into the Presence of Him whom our Faith declares to be the Source of all life and love, all peace and power, the Source of all hope and healing.

In silence, let each now pray as tile heart may prompt.

MEDITATION We rest our hearts in the Promise of Jesus who said:

11 Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light".

"Ask, and it will be given you. Seek and you will find. Knock, and it will be open unto you."

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, but b.Y' Me. If you love Me, you will keep my commandments"

"For I tell you ••• do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat ••• or drink •• nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food? And the body more than raiment."

"But seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."

"For I.am ~e~suaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor princ~pal1t1es, nor powers, nor things present •• to come nor height nor depth, nor any other creature - shall be able to sepirate ' us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, Our Lord. 11

ANNOUNCE~!ENTS: Sunday, January 8, 1989

I. VISITORS I GREETING

A. We welcome the visHors in the congregation ••• delighted to have you with us ••• opportunity to greet you in a more pPrsonal 1rray.

B. Be free in the sharing of your name. FUl out a visitor card. Sign a Guest Book. Join us on other Sundays in worship. Come and work with us in the programs of service •••

c. You vrorship in a Church whose roots are deep in the soil

II. PICK UP

of this part of NYC. Founded in 1837 ••• fourth building out of which this congregation has ministered. We minister in the name of Christ and it is in His spirit ••••

A. Be sure to pick up a copy of the January issue of our monthly news sheet, prepared by lucy Dinnes.

13. Also, avaUable ••• "A Year With the Bible".

C. Take along a flyer reminding you of the February 4th Rummage Sale ••• for which workers are already being en lis ted. Lend a hand.

D. Also, if you requested them, a box of 1989 offering envelopes is on the table downstairs waiting to be picked up by you. Take the box that has your name on it •• o co

I II. NEXT 31 NDAY I FELLOVJSHIP suPPER

A. Jrext Sunday t-ve have a Fellowship Supper "in the works" o

Sponsored by the Outreach Committee, it's in honor of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr ••

B. Sunper: $ 3.00 donation. Richmond Bates will be handling the supper donations today and next Sunday at the coffee hour.

c. Program. Hr. Gloster B. Current will speak on "King, How Fares the Dream Today?" A friend and a colleague and a former Administrator of the NAACP. Look forward to his presence 1r1i th us.

IV. OFFERING: "More blessed to give than it is to receive"

PASTCllAL PRAYmt January 8th, 1989

0 THOO WHO ART the light or the minds that know 'nlee, the joy or the hearts that love Thee, the strength or the wills that serve Thee.

HEAR OUR THOOGHTS ••• as we enter into these quiet moments ot prayer. Here real.nd us that "•ore things are wrought by prayer than this world bas eYer dre8118d.•

STEADY US AND SUSTAIN US, 0 God and Father or us all, with that "blessed assurance" that our maJV problems can be mat and mastered vith Tour help, Your wisdom, Your grace and guidance.

PURGE from our lives all that which prevents us from. caning in touch wtth Your Spirit. Help us to overc01118 the tendency to always thtnk or ourselves first. Enable us to rul~ concentrate on You "in spirit and in truth" that we JD81' find t~at irmer peace, that inner power and poise that makes a difference&

THANIFUL WE ARE, 0 OW, that you have brought us safel,r through this week that has been demanding, that has also been dirticult and discouraging tor •111' gathered in worship.

_RENE\'( our perspectint. HElP us to see lite tran higher grami in this hour.

Where there is personal disorder, bring peace. Where there is lingering illness, bring healing. Where there is disturbing doubt, bring faith. Where there are broken hearts ••• broken dreams, bring

reassurance and new courage, fresh hope.

UJU>, WE PRAY not only for ourselves, rut also for others - especially for the person sitting next to us in the pew ••• the person to our left ••• the person to our right.

We pray for those with whom we work - in the offloe, in the class room, in the hoapi tal. We hold in our hearts our loved ones from whom we are separated by distance, but from whOI'Il we are not separated by love and concern.

REMIND US THAT WE cannot fellowship with You, lord, if in our hearts we reject or neglect our brother in need. Therefore 1 tkke us and use us to carve '1117 will in the world where ve live and work.

All this ve ask in the spirit or Jesus Christ, in whom ve tind life's highest hope and life'• deepest IIIBaitlnc• In Hla name and 1n His spirit, we Pr&T•

184 Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne ·-· ...... .. T~R ........... I&76

-1. Thi:u dldlt leave Thy throne and Thy kina - ly c:rown When Thou l. Haav - .n~a arm - a ,.,. when the an - !Ida sane. Pro -). 'The fox - a faund Ra. and the birdl their nest In the

1 4. Thou cam • at. 0 Lord, with the Uv - inf Word That ahouJd I 1. Whln the hcavaw nJl rin&. and the an • aela sin& At Thy

Muq I f s=t ~ E e I r F ~ Q - :.--~

cam - at to earth or me; claim- in8 lby roy - al de - ... ; lhldc of the for • at t,..; act Thy peo - pic free; com • inl to vic - to ry,

Beth • le-hcm · 1 home then: was But in low - ly birth didst Thou But Thy couch ,.,.. the sod. 0 Thou But with mode - ina scorn and with Let Thy voice call me home. ay - ina. -

-rcuxt no OXI1C to Son or crown ol

room earth. God. thom

For Thy ho - ly na • tiv - i - ty. And in pat hu - mil - i ty. In the da - cru of Gel • i - lee. ]'hey bore Thee to Cal - va - ry. There ia room at My side for thee ...

o­o 0 0

.. Yet there ia room. -

come to my heart, Lord Je • sus: There is come to my heart. Lord Je - sus. There is come to my heart. Lord Je - sus: There is come to my heart. Lord Je • sus: There is heart shall re-jotc:e, Lord Je - sus: There is

Muolc ued by ptr•iaaioa of N.,.tllo 6 Co .. Lid.

IESUS CHRIST: HIS LIPE AND MINISTRY

I 168 I

And my -

"" room in my heart for Thee! room in my heart for Thee! room in m\' heart for Thee! room in mv heurt for Thee• room in m)· heart for Thee! A-MEN.

"" I • I

ANTHEM: "His Voice As the Sound"

"His voice as the sound of the dulcimer sweet is heard thro' the shadows of death; the cedars of Lebanon bow at his feet, the air is perfum'd with his breath. His lips as a fountain of righteousness flow that waters the garden of grace, from which their salvation the Gentiles shall know, and bask in the smile of his face. Love sits in his eyelids and scatters delight thro all the regions on high. They veil in his sight with trembling looks and ten thousands of angels rejoice, and myriads wait for his word. He speaks, and eternity filled with his voice, reechoes the praise of her Lord."

ANTHEM: "He Watching Over Israel"

"He, watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps. Shouldest thou, walking in grief, languish, He will quicken Thee."

ORGAN POSTLUDE

The organ postlude - a final offering of our praise to God - is played after the Benediction. Time permitting, we invite you to share in the beauty of it.

FOR THOSE WHO SING

New members are always welcome to audi­tion to sing in the choir. Rehearsals are held on Wednesdays at 6:15 pm in the down­stairs Choir Room. Now's a good time to J01n as the choir begins to prepare anthems for the comina months.

"HOUNDS OF HEAVEN"

The "Hounds of Heaven" meet on Tuesday evening at 6:30 in Fellowship Hall. New friends are always welcome. George Leopold is class leader. Come and share in the study of Dieterich Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship.

ALDERSGATE CLASS

The Aldersgate Class meets on Wednesday evening for Bible study in Fellowship Hall. The class meets at 7:30 pm. New friends are always most welcome.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE TO MEET

The Education Committee will meet on Thursday evening at 7:30 pm in Fellowship Hall.

ADULT FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE TO MEET

The Adult Fellowship Committee will be meeting next Sunday, January 15th, after the service. A light brunch will be offered.

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

January 22nd, 1989 is Super Bowl Sun­day. The Adult Fellowship invites you to a Super Bowl Party at the parsonage. Plan to arrive around 4:30 and watch the game with church friends. A light supper will be served. The parsonage address is 21 East 87th Street. Apartment 11 D. Next Sunday's bulletin will have more details.

THE NEW HYMNAL

Gifts for the new hymnal of the United Methodist Church continue to be received. A new hymnal cost $10.50. The price goes up after January 31st. Our Church needs $3,600 to cover the cost of 350 new hymnals and we're pleased to report that over one­third of that amount has already been received. It's a nice way to remember a loved one. See Donna Hayes for further information. There's an envelope in the pew if you're tempted to respond with a gift of a hymnal or two.

PLEDGE CARDS STILL COMING IN

Pledge cards are still being received in the church office. To date, we have gratefully received 202 pledges totalling $133,783. Our goal for 1989 is 240 pledges. Perhaps we can tempt you to respond with a pledge if you have not yet already done so.

WEEKLY OFFERING ENVELOPES

The 1989 boxes of weekly offering en­velopes are on the table in the rear of the Russell Room. Pick up the box that has your name on it. Boxes have been prepared for those who requested them.

If you haven't pledged and would like to have a box of 1989 weekly offering en­velopes for your gifts, speak to John Simms.

NEXT SUNDAY EVENING

Save next Sunday evening - January the 15th - for the first fellowship Supper of 1989. Sponsored by the Outreach Committee, we shall come together around six o'clock·in Fellowship Hall to celebrate the birthday 'of Martin Luther King, Jr ..

Supper will be served from 6: 30 to 7 :'15. A donation of $3.00 will cover the cost of the evening meal. See Richmond Bates at the coffee hour today with your supper donation.

Following the evening meal, Dr. Gloster B. Current, a former Administrator of the NAACP and a retired Minister of the New York Annual Conference, will speak on the subJ'ect 11 • I

K1.ng, How Fares the Dream Today?" It promises to be ~ good evening and we

anticipate a good turnout for it.

PICK UP YOUR COPY

Be sure to pick up your copy of the January issue of our monthly news sheet, "A Word In Edgeways". Copies are by the door in the narthex as well as on the table in the downstairs Russell Room.

PARK AVENUE

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 106 East 86th Street

New York, N.Y. 10028

AT 9-69CJ7

CHURCH DIRECTORY

Rev. Philip A. C. Clarke ... .. . .. . .. . . ..... . Minister Mr. Lyndon Woodside .. . .. . .. . Organist-Choir Director Mr. Jack Schmidt . . . . .. . .. . . .... . . Business Manager Mrs. Judy Ferland .... .. .. . . ... . . . ....... Secretary Mrs. Judith Keisman . .. . . . . . . .. . . Day School Director Mr. Roberto Meriles . . . ... . . . . .... .. . . .. Custodian

GENERAL OFFICERS

Lay Members, Annual Conference . .. . . Mr. William Bell Mr. Edward J. Brown

President, Board of Trustees . . . .... ... Mr. William Bell Chairman , Administrative Council . .. . Mrs . Bobbie Heron Chairman , Education Committee .... . Mrs. Kathy Simms Chairman , Fellowship Committee . .... . . Mrs . Pat Henry Chairman, Finance Committee . .. . . . . Mr. Larry Morales Co-Chairmen, Membership Committee . . Mrs. Ann Bryant

Mr. Robert Gardner

Chairman , Outreach Committee .. .. ... Miss Janet Ernst

Chairman, Worship Committee . .. Mr. Michael Schaffield Co-Chairmen , Day School . .. .. . .. . . Mrs. Anette Lewis

Mrs. John Lombardo

Chairman , Ushers .. .. . . . ... ... . . .. Ms . Effie French Mr. Len Williams

Superintendent , Sunday School . . .. .. Mrs. Holly Galgano

PARK AVENUE

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

ORGAN

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY January 8, 1989

ORDER OF WORSHIP 11 A. M.

"Meditation" CALL TO WORSHIP HYMN NO. 38 "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" PRAYER OF CONFESSION (seated)

Jongen

God of our life, we confess in company with one another and before Thee, that we are wayward and less than faithful servants. We have loved things and used people; remembered slights and forgotten kindnesses; called on Thee in trouble and ignored Thee at other times; praised Thee in word and failed Thee in deed; allowed the pre­sent age to mold us and left untapped the power of the age to come. Deal with us after Thy mercy for we are sorry for our sins and earnestly seek Thy pardon through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen .

SILENT MEDITATION- WORDS OF ASSURANCE - LORD'S PRAYER ***

PSALTER "How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place" No. 579 No. 792 No. 740

GLORIA PATRI AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

*** ANTHEM SCRIPTURE PASTORAL PRAYER PARISH CONCERNS

"His Voice As the Sound" II Corinthians 4: 5 - 18

Arr. by Shaw Page 1005

ANTHEM "He Watching Over Israel" Mendelssohn PRESENTATION OF THE OFFERING WITH THE DOXOLOGY HYMN NO. 33 "All Beautiful the March of Days" SERMON "Treasures of Darkness" Mr. Clarke HYMN NO . 184 "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne" ( Insert ) BENEDICTION ORGAN "Choral"

*** Interval for Ushering

Jongen

-------- --- - -

I '~

LAY READER

We welcome Duane Thompson to the lectern today . A native of Marion, Indiana, a graduate of Miami Univer­sity in Ohio as well as the George Washington Law School, Duane is a Tax Attorney with Sherman and Sterling Law Firm. A recent new member of the Church, Duane's a mem­b e r of the Fi nance Committee , the Aldersgate Class and an occasional teacher of the Adul t Bible Class.

ALTAR FLOWERS

The flowers on the altar are in memory of Joseph Harlacker given by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harlacker of York, Pennsylvania and sister, Mary Ann.

GREETERS AND USHERS

The greeters today are Sandra Van Cleve and John Lombardo. The ushers are Susan Langley, Ann and Gordon Bryant, Robin Chauncey, Cary Danford, Michael Hajek and Ann and Chuck Neal.

AN INVITATION

Coffee and tea will be served in the Russell Room following the service. Members and friends are invited to share in these moments of warmth made possible for us today by Pat Henry, Lori Collins, Mary Lou McGanney, Ann Neal, Sandra Van Cleve, Darcy Walker and Richmond Bates.

SUNDAY SCHOOL AND THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS

Sessions of Church School for children are offered Sunday mornings from ten-thirty to twelve. Nursery care for infants and toddlers is available on the fourth floor. The Adult Bible Class meets on Sunday morning at 9:30 in Fellowship Hall. John Simms is serving as teacher for the study of the Gospel of Matthew. All are invited.

11 TREASURES OF DARKNESS"

INTRODUCTION If you're feeling on top of the world this morning, and greatly fulfilled by the way things are going in your life, the chances

are that this sermon will have little to say to you. It's intended for those of us who are not on top of the burdens of our lives, who are not experiencing suc­cesses but the bitterness of failure and disappointment, who are in pain and sor­row, who are depressed and defeated by the situations in which we find ourselves.

I don't know how it is with you this morning, but for many people there seems to be a period from mid-January to mid-February when all the things which we pushed aside in the press of the seasonal celebration of December come out again to plague us. It's about this time of year that~ come down with that old affliction of the mid-winter blues. Facing the same old problems, we become blue and discourage­ment takes holde

DEVELOPMENT Here is a student who is just not making it. As exams come around he is more and more disturbed and feels that perhaps the best

thing for him would be to cut and run. He doesn't have aqy plan; he just knows the pressures on him are quite severe.

Or here is a person who is carrying a major family responsibility on his back. He didn't ask for this responsibility, but it has been thrust upon him and he can't refuse it. Tired and discouraged, it seems to him that there will never be an end to the pressures and the drain upon his resources and energies.

Or here is a person who is carrying the burden of illness - days filled with pain and nights full of wakefulness. Each day seems to bring another crisis and she wonders how much a person can take when just staying alive seems so very hard.

Or, here is a couple whose marriage has gone sour. They started out together long ago, but they have moved farther and farther apart almost without noticing it into two separate worlds and suddenly they find that they have lost touch with each other. They don't know whether it is easier to go through the struggle of working their way back together again or just to give up and call it quits. Feeling defeated, they aren't sure which way to go.

If these illustrations strike a familiar chord or if you find yourself wanting to add your own situation to the list, then you are the person for whom today's sermon is intended. The easy thing would be to smile and say, "Have faith. Hang on. There are better times ahead. It's going to get better~ There li;..rill be a happy ending. Wait and see". But that kind of approach would be dishonest and deceiving. For some of us the pain, the dark nights, the conflicts, the pressures are not going to go away. What we most need is a world that will help us live in the midst of them.

I want to talk for a bit this morning about the treasures of darkness. The phrase and the title come from a sentence of Leslie Weatherhead, the famous British preacher. He says:

"I can only write this simple testimony. Like all men, I love and prefer the sunny uplands of experience when health, happiness and success abound; but I have learned more about God, life and myself in the darkness of fear and failure than I have ever learned in the sunshine. There are such things as the treasures of darkness. The darkness, thank God, passes but what one learns in the darkness, one possesses forever".

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~we-l.ea~r-em-th.e-Qa.:Pk-Be-s&-aRd--tbose--times-Gf-G.:i-soo:tH'--ageme-r:tt? What are the treasures it can give us if we know haw to find them?

EVERYBODY IS HURTING One thing is that everybody hurts. You may not have thought about this. I know I didn't realize it fully

until I had gained a few years of experience in the ministry. It's amazing how much there is under the bright faces we put on - how much heartache, suffering and loneliness. Into the lives of everybody comes pain, sickness, frustration, failure, defeat and death. This is part of what it means to be human. Pain in one form or another is the lot of every man. Frustration and tension are generated for all of us by the world in which we live. There is no magic umbrella that can shield any of us from trouble no matter how hard we might wish it.

Somewhere a myth began that if a person were just holy enough or pious enough or religious enough, life's troubles would pass him by. It isn't necessarily so. Take the case of Paul whom we were thinking about last Sunday. Pious, yes; holy, yes; religious, yes; nobody would ever question the depth of his commitment or his position as one of the great men of the faith and of history. I think if anybody had the right to feel that God ought to protect him, it would be Paul.

But he was a man plagued with trouble. He had two kinds of difficulties which he shares with men through the ages. One was a physical disability. We don't know just what it was. Paul called it "the thorn in his flesh" and medical men have diagnosed it as everything from epilepsy to appendicitis. But Paul carried this thorn with him his entire life. He prayed hard to be rid of it. He asked God to remove it and then instead of quitting altogether when it didn't go away, he learned to live with it and above it.

And in addition to a physical liability, Paul was to experience frustration and betrayal in his work that would have turned most of us bitter, sour and vindictive. Nothing protected him from discouragement. Listen to one letter he wrote after a terrible_. time :

"We should like you, our brothers, to know something of what we went through in Asia. At the time we were completely over­whelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact, we told ourselves that it was the end. Yet, we believe that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust na>t. ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead1 11

I think it is important to note what Paul is saying to us in this letter to his friends. It has a note of utmost realism. It is not that he prayed and God removed his troubles. He prayed and the situation did not change, but Paul did! :.re found what we discover - God is no insurance policy to get us out of trouble, but He helps us handle the trouble we are int Sometimes we only lor)k for the way out and miss resources available to help us while we are in trouble.

I've always been fond of that story of the two men in a boat in the midst of l bad storm. As the waves rose and the boat threatened to capsize the men knew that they needed help. They were not religious men, but they decided that prayer was about all that was left, and so in the teeth of this terrific gale, one of them shouted the only prayer he could muster:

11 0 God, you know that I haven't bothered you for the past fifteen years, and if you'll just get us out of this mess,

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I promise you I won't bother you again for 15 years!"

One of the treasures that the darkness can bring us is this awareness that we share pain and suffering with all mankind. It's part of the human condition, and there is no magic shield that gives us protection from it. I don't knov.r what this suggests to you, but it gives me a great deal more compassion for the people I know and work with. Behind the closed doors of many lives difficult battles are being fought. People are carrying burdens you and I do not know about, and we would do well to treat others with care and concern because of this.

MORE RESOURCES THAN WE THINK Another lesson that we can learn from the dark-ness is a lesson about ourselves - that the human

spirit has more resources than we think. All of us know people who driven to the end of their rope, like Paul, tied a good lmot there and hung on - sometimes againtt ~~nost impossible odds, sometimes beyond our human comprehension, but they hung on! They held fast!

Brian Sternberg was a student at the University of Washington and a champion pole vaulter. Limbering up on a trampoline before a track meet, he fell across one of the metal bars and broke his back. It was clear that he would not only never jump again, but also might never walk again. Since that time Brian has demonstrated that he is a champion in more than the pole vault - a champion in managing his own life. One day one of his uncles i.vas visiting him in the hospital and seeing the pain and struggle said, 11 Brian, I wish I could take your place for a little while and give you a rest11 • Brian grinned and said, "Thanks, but you couldn't do it. I know because I couldn't do it either -except that I have to - so I do"

Dag Hammarksjold experienced something of the same thing. Placed in one of the key positions of responsibility in our world he understood more than most the loneliness, the discouragement and the disappointment of it and this temptation to escape from the pressure of it. He wrote in his diary, Marking_~:

"Tired - and lonely. So tired the heart aches. Meltwater trickles Down the rocks, The fingers are numb The knees tremble It is now that you must not give in.

On the path of others Are resting places. Places in the sun Where they can meet. But this is not your path, And it is now, Now that you must not fail.

Weep - if you can, Weep - but do not complain. The way chose you And you must be thankful"

Physical pain and mental anguish is very real - as too many of you know. I think that in the long run we choose our attitude toward it. vJe allmv it to defeat

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us, or we accept it into our lives and triumph over it! When one thinks, "I have reached the bottom of the sea. I can go no deeper" - one does go deeper. Since it will not go away, we have two choices: we can live with our trouble at the center of life and become complaining, unhappy people, or we refuse to allow it to be the center of our lives - no matter how insistent it is, and rise to a higher level of our mm being. We do not deny the pain. We affirm that even in the midst of it, we are not completely limited by it. We have more resources than that. This discovery is another of the treasures of darkness.

SOHEBODY CAB.ES The third and final lesson which I think sometimes comes to us only through experiences of darlmess is the lesson that somebody

cares. We can endure almost anything if we know that somewhere there is some one who is concerned about us and about what is happening to us.

I'm sure there are a number present here this morning who are here because we know what it means to be supported through a time of trouble by God. Perhaps there are some of you here who are asking whether that support is available to you in the dark tunnel through which you are noN· passing.

The centeral message that I have for you this morning and an,y morning is a truth which some of us learn only in times of darkness - that God is at all times the sustainer of our lives. He sustains them in the good times and the bad -in health as in illness, in the days when we are on top of things as well as the days when we are at our lowest. He is there and He cares! Although this is a truth that is available to us at every mmment, it is a lesson that some of us will learn only in our darkest hours. Paul said it was necessary for him to be driven to the end of his rope so that he would stop trusting himself and his own ability to handle his life and learn to trust God instead.

CIJJSING Perhaps it can be a liberating thing to you this morning to know that there are some things which can be gained from the arkness you are

in that will be useful to you the rest of your life. You can learn so much about yourself and your resources. You can know that you are a part of the whole world of humanity, but supremely you can knmv that God is there and in Him you can overcome anything. The darkness, thank God, eventually passes. But the lessons we have learned in the darkness are ours forever. Treasure them. And never forget them, and never let them go •••• so that you will be able to say:

SHALL WE PRAY Our lives are not always easy, 0 God, and we ask for strength to meet the darkness of difficult days. Open our eyes to the

shining things - the treasures of the darkness - that are there before us. Help us to put the past behind us, and to pour all of our energies into the race that lies ahead, keeping our eyes always steadfastly on Jesus - who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In his name and spirit, we pray. Amen

"I believe in the sun - even when it is not shining. I believe in Love even vJhen I am alone. I believe in God, - even when He is silent"